Dunedin's Favorite Second Beach - ... from a Small City

Second Beach Escape

Having spent the last five days in Hong Kong with 7.4 million people crammed into a shoe box, it’s easy to see why Hong Kong is listed as the fourth most densely populated place in the world. During my time there, and on one of my trips through the Hotel lobby, I got talking to the concierge. Now there is no doubt that between the two of us, one of us was dressed as if he had just come from the latest fashion show and made careful consideration to ensure that every element of his appearance was just so, and the other had decided he could get another days wear out of his jeans, found the closest t-shirt and walked out the door. After exchanging pleasantries and upon his discovery of finding out I was from New Zealand, his first response was “you have castles and sheep!” Castles and sheep I thought to myself, yes, I guess that’s true. If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong you’ll realise just how crowded the place is and what a lack of open, green space there is in the city. It was in this second of realisation that I decided after arriving home I’d make a make a beeline to the Dunedin coast and visit my favourite beach, Second Beach in St Clair.

The Dunedin coastline is an amazingly rugged place. I often find myself exploring its many unique features. Unfortunately I’m often busy and short of time, so to get my outdoor fix I have to choose an easily accessible spot most of the time. Since the landscape along some of Dunedin’s coastline is not particularly accessible, or requires some pre-planning, I often stop at St Clair and explore the beauty of Second Beach. Along this stretch of beach, years of consistent wave movement have created great drifts of raggedly oval stones worn to a polished smoothness. They are nearly impossible to walk on since your feet sink with each step while at the same time having to navigate piles of driftwood that have washed up. The coast path above the beach is much easier and doesn’t require clambering up and down a bank to reach. At any one time you’ll meet anyone and everyone from the young to old, those getting their daily fitness quota, surfers and people just enjoying a tranquil escape for 5 minutes. No matter which option you take, if it’s the beach or the path you’ll hear the sea, crashing into the shore creating a seemingly endless musical score of stones clattering on the water’s edge. It’s one of the most glorious places in Dunedin.

Sunset sky – Buy